Apparatus for treating meats.



PATENTED JUNE 4, 1907.

J. GUNNING. y APPARATUS POR TRBATING MEATS. v

APPLICATION FILED MAB. 26, 1906.

.dottd' lines 3.3 an Fi 1, illustrating more clearly certain de-` PATENTOFFICE. l

JAMES cUNNrNc, or INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.-

APPARATusFon TREATING. MEMS.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented J une 4, 1907.

Application nea Maat ze, 190e. serai No. 308,030.

To LZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES CUNNING,y a

vcitizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county'of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Treating Meats, of which the following is a seciiication.

' In reparing meats for t e market, it is desirali le that the same beput into an at tractive and symmetrical form, both as a matter ofeconomy and .for the purpose-of m'ore convenient handling andtransportation; and my invention has for its object the puttinginto suchform boneless ieces of meat.I

While the invention is app icable to pork, beef, mutton, and othermeats, I have used it especially in preparing hams for the market, andwill, therefore, especially describe said invention as used in treatinghams.

The accompanying drawings illustrate` a pressing and shaping apparatussuch as I have usedl in carrying out my invention.v

Figure 1 is a side elevation of such an apf paratus, a portion of thecylinder being roken away to show the interior construc-Y tion andarrangement as the same a pears when the meat has been placed therein,the apparatus being in the position it occupies just before the cookingoperation commences;

Fig. 2 a sectional view w1th the parts in therelative position whichthey occupy after the cooking operation has been completed; Figs. 3 and4 detail sectional views on a somewhat enlarged scale at the ointsindicated by the d) 4 4,1 respectively, in

tais of construction, and Fig. 5 a lan-sectional viewlooking downwardlyy om the dotted line 5-v 5 in Fig. 1.

The a paratus in question consists of an open-en ed cylinder 21 withinwhich the meat is to be laced for treatment. The ends of this cy' derare preferably flared outwardly somewhat, as shown, to facilitate theintroduction and withdrawal of the meat.

The cylinder is a'plain cylindrical structure' having no structuralconnection with any other part.

Surrounding the cylinder is a telescopic frame composed of two separablestructures. One of said structures is composed of a trans"- verse member22 and two llegs 23 and 24 exi tending out at right an les with saidtransverse member; and sai legs,'when the apparatus is in use, arearranged substantially parallel to'the cylinder. vThe otherstructure isof similar construction, being composed ofa transversev member 25 andtwo legs 26 and '27, which legs are arranged to engage telescopicallywith the legs -23 and 24; and in the operation, as will be presentlydescribed, the transverse members` are posi- -tioned nearer to orfarther from each other,

,as-the work may happen to require, and after the desired positions havebeen reached the telescopic legs are adapted to be secured togetherymeans of suitable engaging devices, as ins 28 and 29.

istons or followers having suitable piston rods are mounted inappropriate bearings 2,2 and 25 in the transverse members 22 and 25 ofthe framework. Said pistons or -followers are adapted to enter the openends of the cylinder 21, and, when pressure is a plied, to follow thecontents of said cylin er, as the same shrinks or yi'elds, and compresssaid contents into a so 'd mass. The piston rods 32v are tubular inform, and contain stout springs 33. Followers 34 are arranged above saidsprings, and are adaptedLas will be presently described, to be forceddown so .as to compress said springs? Any suitable means (as a rod 41which may be arranged to enter the chamber in the piston rod through asuitableperforationin the cap 32 of such rod, as is best shown in Fig.4) may be employed in performing the compressing operation. Afterthesprings are compressed they are adapted lto'be held in compressedcondition by means of suitable gagi gdevices, as ins 35. Said vpinshowever do not engage wit the hollow piston rods themselves, which, inthe construction shown are slotted as well as' hollow, but pass freelythrough the slots in the piston rod and engage the followers directlywith the surrounding bearings; so that, as the article against which thepistons bear yields, the springs will causej the pistons to 4follow saidarticle, 'and thus exert a continuous pressure upon. the contents ofthecylinder while under treatment. These parts are prevented from revolvingrelatively to each other by means of projections on the' bearings and onthe followers which enter the4- slots in the hollowpiston, as y'bestshown in',A

Fig. 4'. These rojections (bfon the bearing and] on the fo lower) extendin a distance slightly less thanone-half the thickness of the wall ofthe hollow iston' rod,so that those on the fo lower wil not come intocontact with those on the bearing, vas the follower moves up and down.Said projections are however entirely sufficient to electually prevent;the parts from revolving relatively to each other, while relativelongitudinal movement within the predetermined limits is neverthelessfreely ermitted.

A number o cylinders of. varyingsizes should be provided, i order toaccommodate the various sized hams or other masses of meat. .The pistonheads should be conveniently adjustable accordingly. The piston headsare therefore composed of two parts-4 the part 31 which is intended tobey permanent y attached to the: piston rod, and a removable plate 36.ese are united in any su table detachable manner, as by the headed pins37 secured to the plates by passing through keyhole openings in theparts 3l, as is best'shown in Fig. 5. -"By providing a multiplicity ofthese platesS, of differentdiameters, the apparatus can be quicklytransformed from one size vto another. As elsewhere indicated, thecylinders 21` are structurally free from the frame and istons, and theselight plates 36 can be quic y and easily attached anddetached by themeans `meat therein.

stated. o

, I will nowproceed to describe the method or process ofcarrying out lmypresent invention in the .treatment of a ham: I iirst remove all bonesfrom lthe ham and then wrap the same up tightly in a suitable fabric,such asa light cotton cloth,'foi'cin1r the same as nearly as possibleinto cylindrical form during the process of Wrapping. I then put thepackage into the cylinder, fitting the saine into said cylinder astightly as is convenient. I then `put said cylinder into the frame abovedescribed, so that the pistons or followers carried by .said frame willenter. the endsl of said cylinder and bear lagainst the package ofPressure is then applied which forces the two frame parts to'ward eachother until .the meat is compressed (in its cold raw state) intosubstantially a cylindrical form, the irregular and unshapely ends beingdriven in, and the cavities whence the bones were removed being closedand filled. When sulicient pressure has been applied, the pins 28 and 29(or other en aging devices) are inserted in the legs of the frame sothat .they are held together atV the adjusted point. lI

' then, by means of suit-able pistons, apply an additional pressure toAthe followers bearing against the springs, until said springs arecompressed to substantially the position shown in Fig. 4, and theninsert the keepers, such as the pins 35, which has the effect lofbringing the meat under a spring pressure.

l The means of applying power to the followers isy immaterial; and Ihave not illustrated it', further than to show a fragment of a pis--means desired esame ton rod 41 in Fi 4. -It may be any pressing avingsufiicient power and strength to compress the springs of my apparatus.After the springs are compressed, and the parts fastened, as described,the complete structure, containing the meat, is in-j troduced into thecooking receptacle, and;V subjected to the cooking operation. During theprocess of cooking the'meat gradually shrinks, and, as it shrinks, thepistons, actuated 'by the springs, exert a continuous pressure' thereon,following the meat and taking rup all slack until the cooking iscomplated. The cylinder of meat is then allowed to cool ci?, and, aftercooling, the pressure is removed, and the meat taken out of thecylinder, and freed from the cloth wrapper-the result being a shapely,solid, cylindrical piece of meat with flattened ends; As the vpistonsfit in the ends ofthe cylinder reasonably tight the natural juice andflavor of the meat are retained, and there is also considerable economyto the purchaser, who receives, instead of a chunk of meat havingirregular ends so that only small iragmentaryslices can he. taken fromthe butt and shank ends of the ham, ashapely mass, 'of uniform diameter,so'. that there will be little or no loss in cuttin Such meats, whencooked and kcooled og, besides being capable of being wrappedinsuitabler material and sold for immediate consumption, can, ifdesired,be putin cylin- `drically-shaped cans, and then recessed andhermetically sealed, so as to e capable of being shipped long distancesand kept any reasonable length of time in fa wholesome condition.

IOO i -Havingy thus fully described my said in- I.

vention, what I claim as new, and-desire to secure by Letters Patent,is,

1. An apparatus forlpreparing meat consisting of a cylindricalreceptacle, a surrounding telescoplc lframe, and pistons carried by saldframe and Ventering the ends of said re-` ceptacle. A

. 2. An apparatus for preparing meats con- IIC sisting of a cylindricalopen-ended receptacle,

pistons entering the ends of said receptacle, a frame carrying saidpistons, and compressible springs connected to said pistons and:arranged to exert a continuous pressure upon the contents of thecylinder. I

3. An apparatus for-preparing meats consisting of a cylindricalopen-ended receptacle, pistons entering the ends of; said receptacle, atelescopic frame carrying said pistons, and springs arranged 'to exert acontinuous pressure upon said pistons and through them upon the contentsof the receptacle.l

4. An apparatus for preparing meats consistin of an open-endedcylindrical receptacle, pistons enterin the ends of said receptacle andhaving tu ular piston rods, a telescoplc frame 1n which said piston rodsare mounted, means for engaging the telescopic members of said frame atpoints to which it may be adjusted, springs within the tubular pistonrods, followers for'said springs, and means for engaging said followerst`o hold said-springs to compressed position.

5. In an apparatus for preparing meats the combination of a receptacle,-a piston entering'said receptacle, a frame surrounding said receptacleand carrying said'piston, and a spring connected to the piston rod andadapted to be compressed, the arrangement being such that said springwhen compressed will exert continuous pressure upon the contents of thereceptacle. 4

6. In an apparatus for preparing meats the combination of a receptacle,a' piston entering said receptacle, a tubular piston rod to said pistonhaving slots in its sides, a frame surrounding said receptacle andembodying .a bearing for said piston rod, a compression spring arrangedwithin said tubular piston rod and bearing against the piston head, afollower also within said tubular piston rod and resting o n saidspring,^and a device passing through the slots in the sides of thepiston rods and arranged to engage with said follower and the framestructure adjacent to the piston rod.

7. In an apparatus for preparing meats the combination of a receptacle,'afpiston entering said receptacle, a tubular piston rod to said pistonhaving slots in its sides, a frame surrounding said receptacle andembodying a bearing for said piston rod, a compression spring arrangedwithin said tubular piston rod and bearing against the piston head, afollower also within said tubular piston rod andi-resting on saidspring, and a device passing through the slots in the sides of thepiston rods and arranged to engage with said follower and-the framestructure adj acentto the piston rod, the piston rod bearing and thefollower being provided with lprojections which engage with the slots inlthe pistonrod and prevent relative rotation ofthe parts.

8. An apparatus for preparing meats consisting of an open-endedreceptacle adapted to surround the meat, pistons entering the openingsin said receptacle and arranged to bear u on the contents thereof, andautomatica ly-acting means for exerting a conduring the process ofpreparing, whereby a' cylindrical well-compressed mass of cooked meatwith flattened ends is produced.

10. AA meat container comprising a sur-v rounding wall and containedmembers which y are relatively movable toward and from each other andautomatically-acting means for eX- erting a continuous pressure thereonwhereby the contents of the container are constantly compressed duringthe cooking operation.

1'1.. lhe combination in an apparatus for preparing meats of astationary surrounding wall, relatively movable receptacle partsvcontained therein, and automatically-acting means for constantly urgingsaid parts toward each other and diminishing the lcubical contents ofthe receptacle, whereby a continuous pressure is maintained upon thecon- `j tents of the receptacle during the preparing operation.

12. The combination, in an apparatus of the class described, of ashaping receptacle, followers which bear against the contents of saidreceptacle, automatically-acting means whereby continuous pressure onsaid followers shall be maintained, and means for adjustably regulatingthe pressure, thus keep- -ing said followers constantly and iirmlyagainst the contents until the preparing operation is'completed.

'In testimony whereof, I, have hereunto set my hand and'seal atIndianapolis, Indi-A ana, this 23 day of March, D. one thou-l sand ninehundred' and six.`

JAMES CUNNING. [1; si

Witnesses:

CHESTER BRADFORD, THOMAS W.- McMnANs.

